Overview
- Bernd Neuendorf published a guest essay in RND on Wednesday defending the DFB’s decision not to comment on every day‑to‑day political event during the 2026 World Cup.
- He wrote that the DFB remains committed to freedom, democracy, respect, tolerance, diversity and inclusion and that hate, racism and antisemitism have no place in German football.
- Neuendorf said the federation is in contact with the German Foreign Office and other authorities to monitor conditions at host venues while it focuses on organizing teams and matches.
- Critics have pressed Neuendorf over his role on the FIFA Council and his earlier public defense of FIFA’s decision to award a Peace Prize to President Donald Trump, and many have faulted his relative silence on U.S. developments.
- The statement comes as the U.S. co‑hosts and FIFA under Gianni Infantino face prolonged scrutiny, a context that raises public expectations for sports bodies to take clearer political or human‑rights stances.